Which cities pay nurses the most?

California metros — the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diego — lead U.S. nurse pay, with other high-cost coastal metros following. City figures here are estimates based on the national average and local cost of living.

Why is big-city nurse pay higher?

City pay reflects the local cost of labor and living, hospital competition for staff, and union density. Higher city wages are frequently offset by higher housing costs, so compare pay against local cost of living, not just the headline number.

Why are some figures verified and others estimates?

National pay for the main nursing roles — registered nurses, LPNs/LVNs, nurse practitioners, CRNAs, nurse midwives, and nursing assistants — comes from verified public wage data. State, city, and specialty figures that aren't reported on their own start from that national pay and are labeled "Estimated" or "Specialty estimate." We never show an estimate as a verified figure.

How are the estimates calculated?

State and city figures take the national pay for that role and adjust it for local cost of living. Specialty figures (ICU, ER, travel, and similar) apply a typical pay difference to the closest role that is measured directly. Every estimate carries a clear label, and the full method is on our methodology page. When official local pay data is added, these figures update to verified numbers automatically.

Nurse salary by city & metro

Which city you work in changes your pay. The typical U.S. registered nurse earns about $97,550, while the San Francisco area leads these metros at around $186,610. City figures are estimates based on national pay and local cost of living — a starting point, not a guaranteed local wage.

Highest-paying cities for nurses

Estimated registered nurse pay by metro area, highest to lowest.

Major U.S. metro areas

RN annual pay by metro. Search, sort, or filter any column.

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Nurse salary by metro
						Confidence
San Francisco	CA	$186,610	$89.72	$223,770	+91% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Sacramento	CA	$171,460	$82.43	$218,780	+76% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
San Diego	CA	$139,520	$67.08	$175,210	+43% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Honolulu	HI	$139,260	$66.95	$151,320	+43% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Los Angeles	CA	$135,560	$65.17	$174,200	+39% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Portland	OR	$130,310	$62.65	$155,650	+34% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Seattle	WA	$128,260	$61.66	$163,890	+31% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Newark	NJ	$119,720	$57.56	$159,240	+23% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
New York	NY	$119,720	$57.56	$159,240	+23% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Anchorage	AK	$115,290	$55.43	$155,150	+18% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Eugene	OR	$113,720	$54.67	$139,500	+17% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Spokane	WA	$111,750	$53.73	$148,130	+15% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Reno	NV	$107,520	$51.69	$132,520	+10% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Boston	MA	$106,180	$51.05	$188,670	+9% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
New Haven	CT	$104,490	$50.24	$144,980	+7% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Las Vegas	NV	$103,940	$49.97	$133,270	+7% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Minneapolis	MN	$103,040	$49.54	$133,450	+6% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Washington	DC	$102,710	$49.38	$132,900	+5% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Hartford	CT	$101,470	$48.78	$125,080	+4% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Dallas	TX	$101,420	$48.76	$129,710	+4% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Madison	WI	$101,190	$48.65	$123,240	+4% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Philadelphia	PA	$101,180	$48.64	$121,900	+4% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Denver	CO	$101,130	$48.62	$125,870	+4% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Phoenix	AZ	$100,830	$48.48	$130,930	+3% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Atlanta	GA	$100,490	$48.31	$132,230	+3% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Chicago	IL	$100,490	$48.31	$119,260	+3% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Worcester	MA	$100,240	$48.19	$168,870	+3% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Providence	RI	$99,880	$48.02	$135,240	Near national	Verified public wage data	View →
Houston	TX	$99,830	$48.00	$130,440	Near national	Verified public wage data	View →
Baltimore	MD	$99,550	$47.86	$125,020	Near national	Verified public wage data	View →
Buffalo	NY	$99,060	$47.63	$117,980	Near national	Verified public wage data	View →
Manchester	NH	$98,600	$47.40	$123,480	Near national	Verified public wage data	View →
Burlington	VT	$98,330	$47.27	$126,100	Near national	Verified public wage data	View →
Austin	TX	$97,890	$47.06	$127,510	At national	Verified public wage data	View →
Boise	ID	$97,880	$47.06	$124,530	At national	Verified public wage data	View →
Milwaukee	WI	$97,360	$46.81	$119,490	At national	Verified public wage data	View →
Detroit	MI	$97,280	$46.77	$110,650	At national	Verified public wage data	View →
Colorado Springs	CO	$96,140	$46.22	$123,250	Near national	Verified public wage data	View →
Albuquerque	NM	$96,040	$46.17	$123,540	Near national	Verified public wage data	View →
Cheyenne	WY	$94,540	$45.45	$130,230	-3% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
San Antonio	TX	$94,370	$45.37	$122,990	-3% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Tucson	AZ	$94,110	$45.25	$128,540	-4% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Richmond	VA	$93,580	$44.99	$117,970	-4% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Charleston	SC	$92,800	$44.62	$117,900	-5% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Miami	FL	$91,380	$43.93	$129,150	-6% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Charlotte	NC	$90,620	$43.57	$110,020	-7% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Virginia Beach	VA	$89,450	$43.00	$114,610	-8% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Portland	ME	$88,470	$42.53	$106,040	-9% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Augusta	GA	$87,760	$42.19	$116,640	-10% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Rochester	NY	$86,570	$41.62	$106,350	-11% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
El Paso	TX	$86,100	$41.39	$117,220	-12% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Salt Lake City	UT	$85,890	$41.29	$115,460	-12% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Tampa	FL	$85,470	$41.09	$124,470	-12% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Louisville	KY	$84,850	$40.79	$118,200	-13% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Raleigh	NC	$84,830	$40.78	$110,220	-13% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Tulsa	OK	$84,790	$40.76	$109,150	-13% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Omaha	NE	$84,600	$40.67	$112,940	-13% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Indianapolis	IN	$84,230	$40.50	$105,240	-14% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Nashville	TN	$84,040	$40.40	$112,030	-14% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Cleveland	OH	$83,940	$40.36	$108,120	-14% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Grand Rapids	MI	$83,920	$40.35	$101,820	-14% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Columbus	OH	$83,900	$40.34	$105,770	-14% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Cincinnati	OH	$83,650	$40.22	$107,190	-14% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Orlando	FL	$83,550	$40.17	$116,210	-14% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Jacksonville	FL	$83,520	$40.15	$104,870	-14% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
St. Louis	MO	$83,180	$39.99	$104,460	-15% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Kansas City	MO	$83,040	$39.92	$103,540	-15% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Oklahoma City	OK	$82,920	$39.87	$102,720	-15% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Jackson	MS	$82,630	$39.73	$106,480	-15% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Dayton	OH	$82,510	$39.67	$103,230	-15% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Pittsburgh	PA	$82,370	$39.60	$111,790	-16% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Billings	MT	$82,300	$39.57	$116,610	-16% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Fargo	ND	$82,120	$39.48	$103,480	-16% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Columbia	SC	$81,920	$39.38	$108,210	-16% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
New Orleans	LA	$81,850	$39.35	$103,180	-16% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Provo	UT	$81,780	$39.32	$106,330	-16% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Memphis	TN	$81,500	$39.18	$112,310	-16% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Baton Rouge	LA	$81,130	$39.00	$103,230	-17% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Little Rock	AR	$81,070	$38.98	$114,190	-17% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Charleston	WV	$80,230	$38.57	$138,850	-18% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Fort Wayne	IN	$79,630	$38.28	$100,390	-18% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Montgomery	AL	$79,570	$38.25	$121,850	-18% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Lexington	KY	$79,040	$38.00	$107,880	-19% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Birmingham	AL	$78,680	$37.83	$102,960	-19% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Des Moines	IA	$78,630	$37.80	$100,500	-19% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Knoxville	TN	$77,240	$37.13	$97,360	-21% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Huntsville	AL	$77,090	$37.06	$98,260	-21% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Wichita	KS	$76,540	$36.80	$99,530	-22% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →
Sioux Falls	SD	$75,350	$36.23	$97,330	-23% vs national	Verified public wage data	View →

San Francisco, CA+91% vs nationalVerified public wage data$186,610$89.72/hr

Sacramento, CA+76% vs nationalVerified public wage data$171,460$82.43/hr

San Diego, CA+43% vs nationalVerified public wage data$139,520$67.08/hr

Honolulu, HI+43% vs nationalVerified public wage data$139,260$66.95/hr

Los Angeles, CA+39% vs nationalVerified public wage data$135,560$65.17/hr

Portland, OR+34% vs nationalVerified public wage data$130,310$62.65/hr

Seattle, WA+31% vs nationalVerified public wage data$128,260$61.66/hr

Newark, NJ+23% vs nationalVerified public wage data$119,720$57.56/hr

New York, NY+23% vs nationalVerified public wage data$119,720$57.56/hr

Anchorage, AK+18% vs nationalVerified public wage data$115,290$55.43/hr

Eugene, OR+17% vs nationalVerified public wage data$113,720$54.67/hr

Spokane, WA+15% vs nationalVerified public wage data$111,750$53.73/hr

Reno, NV+10% vs nationalVerified public wage data$107,520$51.69/hr

Boston, MA+9% vs nationalVerified public wage data$106,180$51.05/hr

New Haven, CT+7% vs nationalVerified public wage data$104,490$50.24/hr

Las Vegas, NV+7% vs nationalVerified public wage data$103,940$49.97/hr

Minneapolis, MN+6% vs nationalVerified public wage data$103,040$49.54/hr

Washington, DC+5% vs nationalVerified public wage data$102,710$49.38/hr

Hartford, CT+4% vs nationalVerified public wage data$101,470$48.78/hr

Dallas, TX+4% vs nationalVerified public wage data$101,420$48.76/hr

Madison, WI+4% vs nationalVerified public wage data$101,190$48.65/hr

Philadelphia, PA+4% vs nationalVerified public wage data$101,180$48.64/hr

Denver, CO+4% vs nationalVerified public wage data$101,130$48.62/hr

Phoenix, AZ+3% vs nationalVerified public wage data$100,830$48.48/hr

Atlanta, GA+3% vs nationalVerified public wage data$100,490$48.31/hr

Chicago, IL+3% vs nationalVerified public wage data$100,490$48.31/hr

Worcester, MA+3% vs nationalVerified public wage data$100,240$48.19/hr

Providence, RINear nationalVerified public wage data$99,880$48.02/hr

Houston, TXNear nationalVerified public wage data$99,830$48.00/hr

Baltimore, MDNear nationalVerified public wage data$99,550$47.86/hr

Buffalo, NYNear nationalVerified public wage data$99,060$47.63/hr

Manchester, NHNear nationalVerified public wage data$98,600$47.40/hr

Burlington, VTNear nationalVerified public wage data$98,330$47.27/hr

Austin, TXAt nationalVerified public wage data$97,890$47.06/hr

Boise, IDAt nationalVerified public wage data$97,880$47.06/hr

Milwaukee, WIAt nationalVerified public wage data$97,360$46.81/hr

Detroit, MIAt nationalVerified public wage data$97,280$46.77/hr

Colorado Springs, CONear nationalVerified public wage data$96,140$46.22/hr

Albuquerque, NMNear nationalVerified public wage data$96,040$46.17/hr

Cheyenne, WY-3% vs nationalVerified public wage data$94,540$45.45/hr

San Antonio, TX-3% vs nationalVerified public wage data$94,370$45.37/hr

Tucson, AZ-4% vs nationalVerified public wage data$94,110$45.25/hr

Richmond, VA-4% vs nationalVerified public wage data$93,580$44.99/hr

Charleston, SC-5% vs nationalVerified public wage data$92,800$44.62/hr

Miami, FL-6% vs nationalVerified public wage data$91,380$43.93/hr

Charlotte, NC-7% vs nationalVerified public wage data$90,620$43.57/hr

Virginia Beach, VA-8% vs nationalVerified public wage data$89,450$43.00/hr

Portland, ME-9% vs nationalVerified public wage data$88,470$42.53/hr

Augusta, GA-10% vs nationalVerified public wage data$87,760$42.19/hr

Rochester, NY-11% vs nationalVerified public wage data$86,570$41.62/hr

El Paso, TX-12% vs nationalVerified public wage data$86,100$41.39/hr

Salt Lake City, UT-12% vs nationalVerified public wage data$85,890$41.29/hr

Tampa, FL-12% vs nationalVerified public wage data$85,470$41.09/hr

Louisville, KY-13% vs nationalVerified public wage data$84,850$40.79/hr

Raleigh, NC-13% vs nationalVerified public wage data$84,830$40.78/hr

Tulsa, OK-13% vs nationalVerified public wage data$84,790$40.76/hr

Omaha, NE-13% vs nationalVerified public wage data$84,600$40.67/hr

Indianapolis, IN-14% vs nationalVerified public wage data$84,230$40.50/hr

Nashville, TN-14% vs nationalVerified public wage data$84,040$40.40/hr

Cleveland, OH-14% vs nationalVerified public wage data$83,940$40.36/hr

Grand Rapids, MI-14% vs nationalVerified public wage data$83,920$40.35/hr

Columbus, OH-14% vs nationalVerified public wage data$83,900$40.34/hr

Cincinnati, OH-14% vs nationalVerified public wage data$83,650$40.22/hr

Orlando, FL-14% vs nationalVerified public wage data$83,550$40.17/hr

Jacksonville, FL-14% vs nationalVerified public wage data$83,520$40.15/hr

St. Louis, MO-15% vs nationalVerified public wage data$83,180$39.99/hr

Kansas City, MO-15% vs nationalVerified public wage data$83,040$39.92/hr

Oklahoma City, OK-15% vs nationalVerified public wage data$82,920$39.87/hr

Jackson, MS-15% vs nationalVerified public wage data$82,630$39.73/hr

Dayton, OH-15% vs nationalVerified public wage data$82,510$39.67/hr

Pittsburgh, PA-16% vs nationalVerified public wage data$82,370$39.60/hr

Billings, MT-16% vs nationalVerified public wage data$82,300$39.57/hr

Fargo, ND-16% vs nationalVerified public wage data$82,120$39.48/hr

Columbia, SC-16% vs nationalVerified public wage data$81,920$39.38/hr

New Orleans, LA-16% vs nationalVerified public wage data$81,850$39.35/hr

Provo, UT-16% vs nationalVerified public wage data$81,780$39.32/hr

Memphis, TN-16% vs nationalVerified public wage data$81,500$39.18/hr

Baton Rouge, LA-17% vs nationalVerified public wage data$81,130$39.00/hr

Little Rock, AR-17% vs nationalVerified public wage data$81,070$38.98/hr

Charleston, WV-18% vs nationalVerified public wage data$80,230$38.57/hr

Fort Wayne, IN-18% vs nationalVerified public wage data$79,630$38.28/hr

Montgomery, AL-18% vs nationalVerified public wage data$79,570$38.25/hr

Lexington, KY-19% vs nationalVerified public wage data$79,040$38.00/hr

Birmingham, AL-19% vs nationalVerified public wage data$78,680$37.83/hr

Des Moines, IA-19% vs nationalVerified public wage data$78,630$37.80/hr

Knoxville, TN-21% vs nationalVerified public wage data$77,240$37.13/hr

Huntsville, AL-21% vs nationalVerified public wage data$77,090$37.06/hr

Wichita, KS-22% vs nationalVerified public wage data$76,540$36.80/hr

Sioux Falls, SD-23% vs nationalVerified public wage data$75,350$36.23/hr

City figures are estimates based on national pay and local cost of living — a starting point, not a guaranteed local wage. Last reviewed July 17, 2026. How we source this.

Nurse salary by city FAQ

Which cities pay nurses the most?: California metros — the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diego — lead U.S. nurse pay, with other high-cost coastal metros following. City figures here are estimates based on the national average and local cost of living.
Why is big-city nurse pay higher?: City pay reflects the local cost of labor and living, hospital competition for staff, and union density. Higher city wages are frequently offset by higher housing costs, so compare pay against local cost of living, not just the headline number.
Why are some figures verified and others estimates?: National pay for the main nursing roles — registered nurses, LPNs/LVNs, nurse practitioners, CRNAs, nurse midwives, and nursing assistants — comes from verified public wage data. State, city, and specialty figures that aren't reported on their own start from that national pay and are labeled "Estimated" or "Specialty estimate." We never show an estimate as a verified figure.
How are the estimates calculated?: State and city figures take the national pay for that role and adjust it for local cost of living. Specialty figures (ICU, ER, travel, and similar) apply a typical pay difference to the closest role that is measured directly. Every estimate carries a clear label, and the full method is on our methodology page. When official local pay data is added, these figures update to verified numbers automatically.

Nurse salary by city & metro

Highest-paying cities for nurses

Major U.S. metro areas

Nurse salary by city FAQ

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